Stefan Denifl sentenced to two years in prison for fraud related to Operation Aderlass doping program
Article by: Zack Morris
Embed from Getty ImagesThe entire case surrounding Operation Aderlass and Stefan Denifl can be a complicated one to report on. We usually don’t report on damaging news like this because we don’t want to contribute to the negative impact on the peoples lives involved in these situations. However, it’s important that we clear the air on some information so that everyone can understand and learn from this piece of cycling history.
First of all; Who is Stefan Denifl? Denifl is a 33-year-old professional cyclist who turned professional with Team Vorarlberg in 2006. While the Austrian’s career wasn’t filled with highlight real wins, it certainly wasn’t one to look down on. Filled with top 10 finishes on some of the world’s biggest racing stages Denifl was constantly in range.
What is Operation Aderlass? OA is the official name of an investigation of an alleged doping practice in Germany and Austria. German-based Mark Schmidt is the alleged physician at the helm of the underground athlete performance-enhancing ring. The investigation includes athletes from numerous sports who allegedly took part in utilizing the blood transfusion method of increasing their performance. Blood transfusions are banned in all major sports.
The public first became aware of Operation Aderlass when professional Skier Johannes Durr snitched out the program in February 2019. Durr named Schmidt as the head of the operation carrying out systematic blood doping. As the case evolved the pressure from the feds stepped up, and raids were carried out on athletes in the Nordic World Ski Championships of 2019. Many athletes shortly after confessed their involvement with the doping program.
Within a very short amount of time, several cyclists came forward about their involvement with the doping program. The list of riders included Stefan Denifl. One of the main issues in the case was that this was not Mark Schmidt’s first rodeo in doping allegations, as he was accused of overseeing the administration of blood bags back in 2009 by Milram’s Bernhard Kohl. Schmidt denied his involvement with Kohl’s doping, for obvious reasons.
Why is Denifl Going To Jail? Alright, so this is where it gets a little bit complicated for Denifl. It appears that Denifl took payment and sponsorships after admitting his involvement with Operation Aderlass, knowing that he would likely be facing a ban in the near future. The payments came from Team CCC who he signed with in 2019, and other private sponsors.
So at this point Denifl is facing a €349,000 fine, issued by the court in Innsbruck. The jail sentence, and duration of time in jail is not final, and we’ll likely see that change in further hearings.